Collaborative Learning and Critical Thinking: Testing the Link

• In Event: 25.067 - Roundtable Session 7
  In Roundtable Session: 25.067-14 - Teaching, Learning, and Pedagogy

Abstract

In this paper, we investigate whether exposure to collaborative learning activities during the first year of college influences the development of critical thinking skills. To explore this issue, we analyze longitudinal data from 1,455 freshmen at 19 institutions throughout the United States. With statistical controls in place for a host of potential confounders, including a parallel pretest critical thinking measure, we find that exposure to collaborative learning activities is associated with gains in critical thinking at the end of the freshman year of college, but only for White students and those who were the least well-prepared academically for college. Lastly, the results of a three-way interaction suggest that exposure to collaborative learning among Whites who also have relatively low levels of tested precollege academic preparation is positively associated with gains in critical thinking skills.

Authors

• Chad Loes, Mount Mercy University

• Ernest T. Pascarella, The University of Iowa